Refrigerator shipping container for container cars



Oct. 13, 1936. 2,057,058

REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS E. RICE. JR

Filed June 20, 19:54

5 Sheets-Sheet I Oct. 13,1936. E. RICE. JR 2,057,058

REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER QAR Filed June 20, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 13, 1936. E. RIC-E, JR v 2,057,058

REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed June 20, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Och-13, 1936. E, RICE, JR 2,057,058

REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS I Filed June 20, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 i fl y Oct. 13,

E. RICE. JR

REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed June 20, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 5 I I /2v L I 27 L 7 7 6 f 22 22 /4 .29 l f J J I I I I I I I As J I I I I .9 I I I I 4 l m I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I J X I I I I I E WE hdfiffl Patented Oct. 13, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT 'OF'FlCE REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING OONT AINER FOR CONTAINERCARS Application June 20, 1934, Serial No. 731,540

17 Claims. (Cl. 62-915) This invention relates to refrigerator shipping containers for container cars of that type designed for the shipment of goods in less than car lots.

One object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator container for container cars which is especially constructed for the eflicient use of solid carbon dioxide (CO2) hereinafter referred to as dry ice as a refrigerating medium whereby the interior of the container may be kept at a predetermined low temperature for the preservation during shipment of perishable goods.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for securing a reliable and effective circulation of the air between a refrigerating chamber or compartment in the container and the lading holding compartment thereof and through the lading in the latter compartment, so as to maintain all portions of the lading holding compartment and the lading at a predetermined low temperature.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a construction which may be embodied in new containers if desired, but which readily lends itself to the conversion of containers in use and designed for shipping goods not receiving refrigeration into refrigerator containers adapted for the use of dry ice.-

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features .of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being through the upper portion of the container and' showing on an enlarged scale the refrigerating means. I

Fig. '5 is a vertical transverse section, similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modification of my invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, l designates a containerof the character described which comprises a body of rectangular or oblong form, a body of oblong rectangular form" being shown in the present instance, which may be with or without supporting feet at its corners and provided at its top with lifting links, and having a bottom wall, 2, front and rear or end walls 3 and 4, and a roof or top wall 5. the front wall tainer may be provided with supporting feet and 3 being formed with a doorway, closed by a suitable door 6, through which the lading may be inserted and removed. In the structure disclosed the body is provided with a horizontal partition 1 below and spaced from the roof 5, which 5 partition forms the ceiling of the goods or lading holding chamber or compartment 8 of the container body. This ceiling or partition 1 consists of a special insulating paneling of pressed wood or other suitable insulating material, and the space between the ceiling and the roof is filled with a suitable insulating material 8'. Also in the structure'disclosed the bottom, end and side' walls and the door are of suitable double-walled construction and the wall surfaces thereof are spaced to receive a packing 9 of the same or other suitable insulating material, in order to well insulate the interior of the chamber from the outer atmosphere. If desired, the inner wall surfaces of the bottom, end and side walls and door of the container may consist of plywood of suitable thickness, to which may be secured a lattice-like guard or grating ill of crossed wooden strips upon and against which the lading rests. The conllft links or other means to adapt it to be shifted 5 into and out of container car compartments by lift-type loading and unloading trucks or suitable hoisting mechanism.

Located at the top of the container, and ex- 30 tending from side'to side and end to end thereof immediately beneath the ceiling panel I, is a metal conductor plate i I. Above this conductor plate are ice holding bunkers I 2, lined with pressed board or other suitable insulating lining and arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the container, the bottoms of which bunkers are formed by the underlying portions of the conductor plate.. The bunkers are disposed between the conductor plate and roof 5 and terminate at the top in inlets, which open to the exterior through the roof and are adapted to be closed by air-tight insulated doors l3. The

.be provided to conduct away the meltage.

such as water ice, salt ice or a mixture of water ice and salt. When so used suitable vents may The meltage may be drained away continuously as the ice is reduced by the heat transmitted through the conductor plate; or it may be retained in the bunker, the ice ultimately floating in the melted water or brine, and drawn off at any convenient time.

The ducts I4 extend from a point near the longitudinal center of the container toward the opposite sides thereof. The ducts I4 are open or provided with air inlets I5 at their inner ends which communicate with the top of the lading compartment, and the outer ends I5 of said ducts communicate with the upper ends of vertical flues I6 which extend downwardly along the container side walls and have lower outlet ends I6 communicating at a certain level with the lading compartment above the lattice-work guards on such walls. Each duct i4 is formed by and between a hollow partition or sub-ceiling I1 and the overlying portion of the plate il, which constitute its bottom and top walls, and such sub-ceiling being composed of a bottom wall, consisting of a A" layer of'plywood I8 and 2 sheets of insulating board I9 and a top wall consisting of a layer of plywood 20 and A" layer of plywood 2I, and suitable end closures 22, thus forming a dead-air space between the lading' compartment and the duct I 4. Each flue I6 is formed by and between an inner wall surface of a container side wall and a hollow vertical partition wall or lining 23 consisting of a layer of A," metal faced plywood 24, a layer of insulating board 25, and a layer of plywood 26. Between their inner ends the ducts I4 are separated by an insulating barrier consisting of spaced plywood panels 21 and 28 and spaced wood strips 29, the space between which contains a filling of suitable insulating material. The strips 29 have secured thereto guide plates or deflectors 30 which guide the ascending warm air to the duct inlets I5 and in each inlet I5 is a valve or damper 3| arranged to be adjusted manually or by means of thermostatic control, so that the rate of flow of air between the lading compartment and each duct I4 may be regulated as required.

In the use of the container, the container is iced for pre-cooling, whenever practicable, five or six hours before loading, and the door kept closed after icing. The lading should also be pre-cooled, whenever practicable, in order to reduce ice consumption during shipment. After the container is loaded a resistance pad 32 of pressed wood painted with aluminum isplaced within each bunker upon the conductor plate, a slab 33 of dry ice is then inserted and rested on the pad, an insulation pillow 34 is placed upon the slab and the door I3 applied to seal the bunker. The conductor plate will thus be cooled and will cool the air in the horizontal ducts, the cool air descending through the vertical flues to the bottom of the lading compartment and the warm air from the top of said compartment entering to take its place, thus creating a circulation of cooled air through the compartment and lading until the desired temperature is reached. This temperature will be maintained as long as ice remains in the bunkers.

When the desired low temperature is reached, that is when the temperature of the lading and of the air in the container has reached its lowest point and the only source of heat in the container is the inflow through the walls thereof,

then the direction of the principal air circulation in the horizontal ducts will be reversed and warmer air will flow upwards through the vertical flues adjacent to the walls of the container and the cooler air will flow out and downward from the'ducts I 4 through the centrally located openings I5.

By the use of a greater or less quantity of ice, and the use of one or more resistance pads in connection with any certain quantity of ice, the temperature to be maintained for any given period may be varied and regulated to any desired degree. The arrangement of bunkers, ducts and flues on opposite sides of the center of the container in conjunction with a conductor plate constructed and arranged as described ensures very high efliciency of operation in effecting a uniform cooling of the container and lading throughout the lading compartment. The resistance pads employed are good until broken or water-soaked and if lost or damaged they can be temporarily replaced with any available building board, such as heavy cardboard, pressed board or corrugated board of a resistance approximately equal to the thickness of resistance pad whose place it takes. Any kind of tough strong papers may be used for very low temperatures and such use is desirable, as, if the ice is placed on the bare conductor plate, excessive refrigeration may be produced and waste of ice caused.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modification of the container illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein thevertical partition walls 23 are omitted and the two lattice-like guards or gratings II) of crossed wooden strips, and against which the lading rests, are extended upward to the sub-ceiling II. In this construction the vertical flues I6 are formed entirely between the gratings I0 and the inner side walls of the container, instead of partly between the gratings and side walls, and partly betweenthe solid partition walls 23 and the side walls of the container. It has been found that this modified construction provides a suflicient air circulation between the lading compartment and the horizontal ducts I4, and is somewhat easier and less expensive to build.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation and advantages of my improved refrigerator container will be readily understood and appreciated by those versed in the art without a further and extended description. While the construction disclosed is preferred it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and details of construction of the parts of the container and the refrigerator unit may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator container for container cars comprising a container body having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means centrally disposed at the top of the container and including a refrigerant containing chamber provided with a bottom conducting surface disposed above said compartment and extending continuously beyond the refrigerant chamber to opposite sides of the compartment, and means for effecting a circulation of air between the top and bottom portions of the compartment and causing the air to flow horizontally in contact with said conducting surface beneath the refrigerant containing chamber and to said sides of the compartment and thence vertically down said sides to the bottom of the compartment.

2. A refrigerator container for container cars comprising a container body having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means centrally located at the top of the container and provided with a conducting surface extending continuously from side to side of the compartment and forming the bottom of the chamber and the top of said compartment, and a flue for circulating air between the top and bottom of the storage compartment and causing the air to flow horizontally beneath and in contact with said conducting surface.

3. A refrigerator container for container cars comprising a container body having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means at the top of the container including a refrigerant containing chamber centrally located between two diametrically opposite sides thereof and provided with a conducting surface extending between said sides and forming the bottom of the chamber and the top of said compartment, and flues extendin beneath said conducting surface toward opposite sides of the container and between the upper and lower portions of the storage compartment.

4. A refrigerator container for container cars comprising a container body having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means at the top of the container including a refrigerant containing chamber centrally located between two diametrically opposite sides thereof and provided with a conducting surface extending between said sides and forming the bottom of the chamber and the top of said compartment, and fiues extending horizontally beneath the conducting surface from the center of the container to opposite sides thereof and thence downwardly therein, said flues communicating with the upper and lower portions of the storage compartment.

5. A refrigerator container for container cars comprising a container body having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means centrally disposed at the top of the container and.

including a refrigerant containing chamber pro vided with a bottom conducting surface extending continuously beyond the refrigerant containing chamber to opposite sides of said compartment, air flues connecting the upper and lower portions of the compartment and arranged to conduct the air along and in contact with said conducting surface, and valves controlling said flues.

6. A refrigerator container for container cars comprising a container body having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means cen-. trally located at the top of the container and including a refrigerant containing chamber provided with a conducting surface comprising a plate of a conducting metal forming the bottom of said chamber and the top of said compartment, horizontal air ducts extending from the center of the container toward diametrically opposite sides thereof beneath said conducting surface, and vertical air flues leading from said ducts downwardly and communicating with the lower portion of the storage compartment.

7. A refrigerator containerfor container cars comprising a. container body having a goods stor of the storage compartment and causing the air to flow in contact with said conducting surface.

9. A refrigerator container for container cars comprisinga container body having a goods storage compartment, an ice holding chamber at the top of the body located between diametrically opposite sides thereof and provided with a bottom wall forming a conducting surface extending between said sides of the container, and flues extending horizontally beneath the conducting surface from the center of the container to such sides thereof and thence downwardly therein, said flues communicating with the upper and lower portions of the storage compartment.

10. A refrigerator container for container cars comprising a container body having a goods storage compartment, an ice holding chamber at the top of the body located between diametrically opposite sides thereof and provided with a bottom wall forming a conducting surface comprising a plate of a conducting metal extending between said sides of the container, horizontal air ducts extending from the center of the container toward such diametrically opposite sides thereof, and vertical air flues leading from said ducts downwardly and communicating with the lower portion of the storage compartment.

11. A refrigerator having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means disposed at the top of the compartment and including a refrigerant containing chamber provided with a bottom heat absorbing surface which extends beyond the refrigerant containing chamber toward the sides of said compartment a distance sufficient to absorb a substantial amount of heat from said compartment, and air flues connecting the upper and lower portions of the compartment and arranged to permit air to circulate from the compartment and over said heat absorbing surface.

12. A refrigerator having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means disposed at the top of the compartment and including a refrigerant containing chamber provided with a bottom heat absorbing surface which extends beyond the refrigerant containing chamber toward the sides of said compartment a distance suiflcient to absorb asubstantial amount of heat from said compartment, and air flues connecting the upper and lower portions of the compartment and arranged to permit air to circulate from the compartment and over said heat absorbing surface, said flues 13. A refrigerator having a goods' containing compartment, refrigerating means disposed at the top of the compartment and including a refrigerant containing chamber provided with a bottom heat absorbing surface which extends beyond the refrigerant containing chamber toward the sides of said compartment adistancesufficient to absorb a substantial amount of heat from said compart merit, and air flues connecting the upper and lower portions of the compartment and arranged to permit air to circulate from the compartment and over said. heat absorbing surface, said flues being formed horizontally between the sides of the compartment and the goods containing space, and vertically below said heat absorbing surface, together with means for retaining goods to be stored away from the side walls of the compartment.

14. A refrigerator having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means disposed at the top of the compartment and including a refrigerant containing chamber, a solid metallic heat conductor forming the bottom of said chamber and having extended heat absorbing portions with a mass sufllcient to absorb a substantial amount of heat from said compartment, and air flue-s connecting the upper and lower portions of the compartment and arranged to permit air to circulate.

from the compartment and over said heat absorbing portions.

15. A refrigerator having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means disposed at the top of the compartment and including a refrigerant containing chamber, a solid metallic heat conductor forming the bottom of said chamber and having extended heat absorbing portions with a mass sufficient to absorb a substantial amount of heat from said compartment, and means within said goods containing compartment for spacing goods to be stored therein horizontally from at least one side wall, whereby an air passage connecting upper and lower portions of the compartment will be formed between said goods and said side wall.

16. A refrigerator having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means disposed at the top of the compartment and including a refrig erant containing chamber provided with a bottom heat absorbing surface which extends beyond the refrigerant containing chamber toward the sides of said compartment a distance sufllcient to absorb a substantial amount of heat from said compart- .ment, and means within said goods containing compartment for spacing goods to be stored therein horizontally from at least one side wall, whereby an air passage connectingupper and lower portions of the compartment will be formed between said goods and said side wall.

17. A refrigerator having a goods containing compartment, refrigerating means disposed at the top of the compartment and including a refrigerant containing chamber provided with a bottom heat absorbing surface which extends beyond the refrigerant containing chamber toward the sides of said compartment a distance suilicient to absorb a substantial amount of heat from said compartment, and means within said goods containing compartment and horizontally spaced from the side walls, and vertically above the bottom wall of said compartment, and below said heat-absorbing surface for spacing goods to be stored within said compartment from the side walls, whereby air passages connecting upper and lower portions of the compartment will be formed.

EDWARD RICE, JR. 

